Day 3
Borth to Aberystwyth: 6 miles
Song of the day: Let Me Entertain You, by Robbie Williams
Reason: I don't really feel like I need a reason. Objectively that's a great song to listen to while walking.
So yesterday I was hoping against hope that I could walk like a normal human being when I woke up in the morning. So could I? Well, sort of. Not really. I don't know really, I was focusing on trying not to fall off of one of many many cliffs.
I certainly wasn't shuffling along like I was the night before (ah the healing power of sleep in a really pleasant hostel), but plodding would certainly be a good description.
Cliffs, Cliffs and Dolphins Galore
First I plodded straight toward a coffee shop - which turned out to be adorable. Borth can seem like a seaside resort that's just slightly more on the gritty side than others I've seen in Wales, but this place was particularly charming. Whitewashed wood panelling was everywhere, there was a fireplace, sculpture, and a lot of nice artwork for sale. And the coffee was even Italian! Unfortunately as I was focusing on trying not to knock anything over with my bag, I entirely failed to pay attention to the name of it.
What I did notice was that for the second time someone asked me if I was getting to Aberystwyth 'Over the Top'. I always first think they mean an arm wrestling match, then realize they mean the giant hills in between Borth and Aberystwyth - which P and I drove the back roads over once, and terrified me. So yes, that's where I was headed, Over the Top of the cliffs over the Irish Sea. Unfortunately Sylvester Stallone would not be accompanying me.
So I headed out down Borth's street, which runs parallel to the beach behind a giant seawall, through the small brightly painted cottages which would have been more cheerful if it were as sunny as it was all last week. Turning right the road starts to climb up towards the cliffs and a WWI monument. Of course it was when I reached the top of this hill that I realized I'd dropped my iPod somewhere (iPods, right - remember them? I'm carrying an iPod - it's light). So back down I went. Great start to the morning.
After I'd found it and walked up the hill twice, I finally got to the monument, which informed me, among other things, that it had previously been completely destroyed by lightning. Which makes sense when you think about it in terms of positioning.
I also got to see my first dolphins - apparently the largest community of dolphins in Europe lives off the coast of Wales. They were only tiny specks from up on the cliffs, but a pair of them jumped one after the other all the way across my line of sight.
The entire way to Aberystwyth, the path basically rollercoastered up to hilltops, then down to sea level, up to hilltops, down to a picturesque valley filled with little pink flowers. It was a lot of upping and downing and several of the stairs were incredibly steep. But all of these hills and valleys and cliffs and tiny rocky beachlets were incredibly beautiful. Even so, I'm pretty sure all the sheep were laughing at me.
While there were several caravan sites, there was also one spot - Wallog, with a particularly gorgeously sited house that just screamed 'Come renovate me!' Of course someone might actually have been living there already, I don't know. I just see old house in a valley on a cliff next to a river fronting the sea and immediately I think I want to renovate it.
Aberystwyth
I was happy to see the back and then the top of Constitution Hill (and actually hike it, unlike last time) and eventually the lovely view of all of Aberystwyth. Because not only does Aberystwyth have a long history, growing out of a castle built in the 13th century, then being a strategic part of Owain Glyndwr's revolution, then a Victorian seaside resort, and currently because it houses the Welsh National Library, it can boast the highest proportion of books to people of any city in the world - not only that, but currently it hosts a wonderful Spanish restaurant called Ultracomida, and P was meeting me there for dinner.
So after freshening up at the quaint (and very reasonably priced) little Cardigan Bay guesthouse I was staying in, we met up for tapas - that most traditional of Welsh foods. Frankly, any town where I can finish a meal with churros con chocolate is going to be a winner in my book. Also there's a deli attached, so I got myself a two foot long 'walking chorizo' for the next day. And oh did I need it.
